


Tourists

by ahappyphil



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2020, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23317483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahappyphil/pseuds/ahappyphil
Summary: Dan and Phil visit Abbey Road, and Dan has thoughts
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 18
Kudos: 75





	Tourists

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blackbirddan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackbirddan/gifts).



> Happy birthday Mad!! :))

**Project Sphere Goal #8- Be a London tourists**

Despite living here for nearly 8 years now, they’d never managed to get around to doing all the cheesy tourist traps. Things like the Eye and Platform 9 ¾ felt like a rite of passage that Phil somehow missed out on.

Which is how they ended up here, checking another spot off their list on a quiet Thursday afternoon as they walk across the iconic Abbey Road.

Dan went through a bit of a Beatles wormhole over Christmas. It had started as most of his deep dives do- he heard a song, decided it resonated enough to peak his interest, and then consumed all available lore and history on the subject until he felt his thirst for knowledge was satisfied. 

“Did you know they almost bought a private island in Greece? The lot of ‘em. A place to get away from the fans and press. Just to have a peaceful place to create, ya know.”

He’s running his fingers over the decades of graffiti marked alongside the brick wall outside. Phil can practically hear the cogs turning in his brain, pouring over months of research and trivia in Dan’s mind filed under ‘hyperfixation center’. 

It makes him smile. He’d never say it out loud, but he has a bit of a soft spot for fanboy Dan. 

“Is the couch not a suitable creative space for you anymore? Is this your way of saying we need another holiday? Somewhere warm this time?” He’s nudging Dan’s shoulder partially out of his incessant need to be annoying in some capacity, but also because a sunny Greek getaway with a sun kissed Dan sounds a bit like heaven right now. 

“Shut up, you idiot.” Dan pushes him back. “I’m trying to culture you.”

They pause for a moment as a small group of people make their way up to the wall to place a handwritten note and a bouquet of wildflowers next to the gate. Dan’s watching intently as they stop to take pictures of the building, of the scattered gifts and letters left knowing they’ll never be read. One man starts to quietly cry as if the band is right there in front of him. 

Phil gets it in a way. He knows how important these things are to people, but Dan...Dan looks like a mixture of moved and pensive.

He breaks the silence shortly after the group leaves, arms linked together in a kind of solidarity that’s so specific to fandom communities. 

“It’s amazing how people still care.” Dan’s staring down at a poster that reads ‘Thank you for everything’ in blue paint. “ Like... It still matters to them, even after they stopped.”

Ah, so that’s where this is going. 

“It’s a part of people’s lives, Dan. That doesn’t go away. They can still make an impact.”

Dan gives him a small smile, the kind that says he’s still got a thousand thoughts flashing behind his eyes but appreciates what he’s trying to do.

“Been thinking? What’s going on in that brain of yours?” He taps his temple and ends up wrapping his finger around a particularly long curl.

“Just...I miss it. Sometimes. And not all of it, but…” He’s biting the inside of his cheek, still laser focused on the stack of letters. “How do I even start? What if I’ve fucked up and everybody already hates me?”

“They won’t.” Phil risks a kiss to the same curl he’d just had around his finger. They can do that now. They can do that because Dan was brave and crossed a hurdle he once thought was impossible. “You still matter. You’re still making people’s lives better. You make mine better.”

He doesn’t miss the fond grin that accompanies the eye roll Dan gives him. 

“Come here.” Dan pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens the camera app. He poses in front of the graffiti covered column and motions for Phil to stand next to him. 

Phil quickly relaxes into his selfie posture and Dan closes the gap by pressing their cheeks together, a silent instruction to let his guard down. 

They got home an hour later with Dan immediately running to his office, muttering something about an idea. It seems the excursion sparked some inspiration. Phil knows him well enough to know he’ll be holed up in there until he has to physically drag him out for dinner time. 

Just as Phil plops down on the sofa, he gets a notification ding. 

**@danielhowell posted a picture**

It’s them, looking far more content that Phil realized he was in that moment. Dan looks bright eyed in a way he hasn’t seen him look in awhile. The brightly colored signatures behind them. He reads the caption:

_“take these broken wings and learn to fly_

_all your life you were only waiting for this moment to arise”_

_see you all soon x_

**Author's Note:**

> Reblog [here](https://ahappydnp.tumblr.com/post/613602935445848064/tourists-g-800-summary-dan-and-phil-visit-abbey) :)


End file.
